Monday, September 28, 2015

A 23-year-old Muslim woman has become the first model to wear a hijab in an H&M campaign.

Mariah Idrissi, who is of Pakistani and Moroccan heritage and based in London, appears in the high street brand's video wearing a checkered hijab and sunglasses to to promote its Close the Loop recycling initiative.

Speaking to Fusion about the campaign, Mariah who chose to start wearing a hijab at 17, said: 'It always feels like women who wear hijab are ignored when it comes to fashion... so it’s amazing that a brand that is big has recognised the way we wear hijab.'

Sunday, September 27, 2015

One Saudi soldier and one suspected Daesh militant were killed in a gun battle in northern Saudi Arabia between security forces and two brothers wanted in connection with several attacks last week, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

Daesh has called on supporters to carry out attacks in Saudi Arabia and string of deadly attacks by its followers has fuelled concerns about a growing threat of militancy in the world's top oil exporter.

The two brothers were suspects in shootings that killed two civilians outside a police station and a soldier in separate incidents on Thursday.

They were also wanted for allegedly killing their cousin, a member of the Saudi security forces.

Abdul Aziz Al Anzi, 18, was killed, while his brother Saad, 21, was wounded and captured in the shoot-out in the northern desert province of Ha'il, the Interior Ministry said.

Saudi authorities say they are cracking down on the militants and announced in July that it had detained 431 people suspected of belonging to the organisation.

----Not too many things bother me but seeing the guy murder his cousin as he begged for his life brought me to tears, may he rest in peace and I hope they make the surviving brother suffer.

Kuwaiti teenagers are increasingly following a widespread Satanist sect managed from abroad and two to three of them are committing suicide every month at their leader’s orders, the interior ministry in the oil-rich Gulf state has warned.

It said Satanists are expanding their activities in Kuwait by targeting young people and that many of them have already joined such a sect.

In a statement published by the Kuwaiti Arabic language daily ‘Al Anba’, the ministry said police had raided some cottages and houses and found printed material outlining such beliefs and urging the youth to join the sect.

The ministry described the followers of this sector as apostates as they believe that Satan is the creator of the universe and that those who want to join them must follow certain rituals including “washing hands with blood, having tattoos on their bodies and declaring their obedience and allegiance to Satan”.

“There has been an increase in suicide cases among the Kuwaiti youth who belong to foreign Satanist groups. The leaders of these groups have given teenagers clear orders to commit suicide to champion their beliefs.

“Between two and three teen boys are now committing a suicide every month,” the ministry said.

It said police had raided parties in the heart of the desert involving rituals by the Satanists, adding that they included loud music and dancing, slaying cats and drinking their blood, which they also use to stain their faces and bodies.

“During the day, they go to the cemetery to dance on graves and all of them have tattoos on their bodies or a star image on their necks.

“Some of them have the number 666 stamped on their heads as they believe that it is Satan’s number.”

It said some of those followers also have “obscene” drawings on their bodies while others have rings in their ears, lips or tongues.

“We wonder why our youth blindly rush to join this bizarre sect. There should be a national plan to study and identify the reasons that are pushing our youth to zealously follow the Satanists so we find solutions to this serious problem.”

Kuwaiti police deployed near a house for a suspected booze party waited all night before raiding the place and arresting at least 100 drunk men and women, a newspaper in the Gulf emirate reported on Sunday.

A large police unit swooped on the revelers just as they stepped out of the house in the capital Kuwait City at the end of the party at dawn.

“Police men trapped more than 100 men and women who were drunk. They were all arrested,” the Arabic language daily 'Al Watan' said.

-----Reminds of the raid they did on expats a few years ago. All it takes is one pissed off person to dial the cops!

Saturday, September 26, 2015

My sister finally convinced my to try the banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery. She has been raving about their hummingbird cake as well but the prices stop me dead in my tracks. Yes, it's a cute place to visit, I love the colors of the store. The banana pudding was really good and it went quick. They have a large variety of cakes, cupcakes and specialty items.

The pint of banana pudding was 2.450 KD and a 3 layer hummingbird cake is 17 KD. I might have to start off trying a cupcake first before investing that much into a cake. There are three locations, 360 Mall, Al Hamra and Levels in Mahboula, you can also find them on Talabat.com

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

(Bury the hatchet is an American English idiom meaning "to make peace". The phrase is an allusion to the figurative or literal practice of putting away the tomahawk at the cessation of hostilities among or by Native Americans in the Eastern United States, specifically concerning the formation of the Iroquois Confederacy and in Iroquois custom in general. Weapons were to be buried or otherwise cached in time of peace.)

I've decided to be the better person and 'bury the hatchet' with Al Shaya even though what they did in my eyes was wrong and uncalled for.

It was never my intention to expose their secret den of discount clothing to the public or their competitors, you can still find a post from Mark on the location btw. If there is a next time let the problem be handled between us and not involve an innocent person.

---Fun facts: Did you know there is a special team that surfs the internet looking for anything negative about the company? It was formed after Mark posted about their secret discount location and that's why they came after me. Big brother is watching and don't be surprised if someone comes to your door dressed like MIB with that memory erasing tool telling you to take your post down.

Live and learn! Kuwait is too small to have problems with people, you will run into them again at some point.

Monday, September 21, 2015

I've been neglecting my blogging duties but after teaching for four hours a day my brain is fried when I get home and don't have the energy to post much.

Here's a funny moment from my teaching experience, above is the test a religious student turned in to me. No, being religious is not funny but scribbling out the faces of women when the teacher is a woman made me laugh. He's a young religious guy who I always call out when I will be talking about something that will make him squirm, today I was explaining the various employment titles and one was a female mechanic.

He thought it was funny when I told him I can change a flat and fix things in my apartment. I'm glad he has a sense of humor and goes along with my comedy routine.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum died of a heart attack today morning. Al Dewan, Dubai Ruler’s Court, has declared three days mourning in Dubai. Flags will fly half-mast at all government institutions in the emirate.

Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, eldest son of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and ruler of Dubai, died of a heart attack at age 34 on Saturday.

“Today, I lost a best friend and a childhood companion, my dear brother Rashid,” said Sheik Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai. “You will be missed.”

--It just shows that this life is short for some and longer for others no matter where you are in life. May his soul rest in eternal peace, prayers are with your family.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Will this ugly 80,000 KD car be the next 'gotta have it' item in Kuwait? The queen of England will be the first person to own one in which she will use it for 'hunting expeditions' so who will be the first to own it in the Gulf and who will be the first in Kuwait to have it?

It really does look like and old person's type of car, no sex appeal just plain ugly.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 15: Assistant Undersecretary for Naturalization and Residence Affairs at the Ministry of the Interior Major-General Sheikh Mazen Al- Jarrah said the proposal to increase the fees on services provided to expatriates, including commercial and tourist visas, temporary residence, self-sponsorship and family residence has been approved by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khalid, reports Al- Rai daily.

The daily quoting the senior officials said the proposal has now been referred to the legal department before it can be approved and enforced. For example, Al-Jarrah said, a commercial visa for one month was free but now the applicant will have to pay KD 30.

Following is the complete list of the proposed increase in service fees.

Neighbors said the drivers were from Qatar and since they moved into area a few months ago, they had seen several sports cars on their driveways.

The people currently living at the 8,895 sqft home in Beverly Hills, which rents for $45,000 a month, where the cars pulled up on Saturday, declined to speak to reporters yesterday. Video journalist Jacob Rogers said that a man - thought to be the driver - confronted him when he captured the incident on video.

'He told me verbatim, 'I could have you killed and get away with it,' Rogers said.

'I told him, 'the press is allowed to be here on the sidewalk on a public street.' He said, 'F*** America' and threw a cigarette at me.'

Footage of the race, which began on North Walden Drive, has now been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on You Tube.

The Beverly Hills Police Department said that the United States State Department is involved now in the investigation into his alleged diplomatic status and the legality of the vehicles driven on the road.

The department told Dailymail.com they were looking into the 'unsafe and reckless driving of high performance exotic vehicles' but said that as officers did not observe the violations personally, they could not make a citation or arrest at the time.

------Good Job representing Qatar douche bag!! Another example of too much money leading to an a-hole attitude, how embarrassing.

Monday, September 14, 2015

My issue is as follows and any legal advice would be most welcome. I am a teacher at a school in Salwa. I started my contract on Nov 27, 2014 and signed the contract for the school on that day.

On my contract it states that the second party (myself) needs to hand in all paperwork to start the process of residency. I did this immediately on my arrival. The school has stalled several times on my getting residency.

On the third attempt I was stopped at the airport in Kuwait en route to Bahrain (to begin residency) with a KD 510 fine because my school had failed to pay my visit visa extension, even though I had told them in an email that the expiry date was coming up.

To cut a long and very detailed story short, the school has still failed to get me a residency card and it is now going on for month 6 of my contract.

This delay has had repercussions as with no bank account being allowed to be opened without residency I have not been able to send remittances to my home country which has resulted in my Retirement Annuity being stalled and my car insurance cancelled.

Furthermore, my contract stipulates that I am entitled to Health Insurance but they only gave me Government Health Insurance which is not the same as full medical coverage and of course, when I had an emergency procedure resulting in me paying out of pocket when I had to go to a specialist. Due to all these grievances (and there are more with emails as proof), I decided to resign.

I have in the meantime signed another contract with a very good school with an excellent reputation. I have brought a lawyer on board to assist me with the legality of this procedure and will be submitting my resignation with the threemonth Kuwait rule of resignations.

Today I went to the Shaun with my lawyer’s mandboub and was told the following: my work permit was only registered by the school in March albeit that my contract says I started work in November 2014.

Transfer of residency means that I have to have processed one year of work before it can be a valid transfer, correct? However, if the work permit is anything to go by, I have only been working since March 2015, which is like, 2 months How do I overcome this obstacle when it is very clear that my current school has not, in my estimation, followed procedures with my contract? Do I have any legal recourse to transfer even though I have not worked a full year? What would next steps entail, especially since I have signed another contract? My lawyer is Arab and although helpful, I feel that a lot of what I am trying to communicate is lost in translation. I am currently desperate for clarity as regards answers.

Name withheld
Answer: It’s good you hired a lawyer because yours is a very difficult case. Legally, things go against you because according to the law you have been on this school’s sponsorship for only two months although you have been working for this institution for a much longer period. A lot of this is also your fault as you should have acted on the issue earlier.

The fine, however, should have been paid by the school as it did not get you a temporary residence (Article 14) for the duration you “overstayed” in Kuwait after the expiry of your visit visa.

Having said that, you can still transfer to another firm / school if you are a university degree holder and your current employer gives you a release (although the Ministry of Social Affairs is very strict on the issue and normally does not allow transfers after a mere 2 months).

If you don’t have the release you will have to serve the required period before you can request a transfer. The same will be the case if you are not a university degree holder. It would be easier for you if you directly approach the Director General of Immigration, at his office in Dajeej, Farwaniya, and request him to waive the required for the transfer.

This would, however, be subject to the school giving you a release. But before you go to the Immigration chief, please remove the contradictions in your statements because on one hand you say that it’s been six months and you have still not got your residency and at the same time you say that your work permit was registered two months ago. If we understand correctly, your work permit has been processed at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor but your school has still not got you the residency stamp in your passport.

If this is the case, you should also approach the Labor Department in your area and file a complaint stating that the school has not given your right for the period you have been in Kuwait and as your rights have been denied you no longer wish to stay with this school.

You should also request this office to sanction your transfer. On the health insurance that you have mentioned, it is your own fault as you should have sought clarification on the issue before signing the contract. Otherwise, the insurance in the contracts these days refers only to the government health insurance. To get the private health insurance it must be specifically mentioned and all that it covers.

On the issue of not being able to send money home or pay for your Retirement Annuity or the car insurance, you don’t need to have a bank account to make payments for the same. You can send the money directly through the money exchanges.

You must have the money because you have not mentioned anything about not getting your monthly salary. So, if you have the money remittances can be made along with the other payments through various channels, not only through a bank account.

----I guess the person answering her question told her off regarding the discrepancies in her story!

Friday, September 11, 2015

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 10: An American expatriate was arrested in Ahmadi area as he was wanted by law for failing to pay a debt worth KD 8,588.

According to security sources, Ahmadi securitymen were patrolling the area when they stopped a vehicle and checked the details of the driver to discover he is an American citizen who is wanted by law for a failing to pay off a debt. He was arrested and referred to the concerned authorities for necessary legal action against him.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Our store room burned down. All our staff and animals are safe and fine. No one was hurt or injured. The fire has burned all of our food. We need your help! Please email us info@kspath.org our phone line is closed today. Anything you can donate is much appreciate! We would like to thank the Wafra fire department for the speed of their response and for their help with everything! #Kspath #fire #help #donate المخزن احترق، كل الموظفين و الحيوانات بخير الحمدالله. اكل القطط و الكلاب احترق و محتاجين مساعدتكم. للتواصل ابعثوا إيميل لان خط التلفون مغلق اليوم. نشكر المطافئ لسرعة خدمتهم و مساعداتهم اليوم.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Fee: KD 3 per person Opened by a Kuwaiti gentleman in his own home, this museum has an excellent collection of Kuwaiti antiques with a section of the museum dedicated to his relatives who died during the invasion of Kuwait. Join us as he recounts stories about Kuwait and about the antiques housed in the museum. Limited Seats. Advance reservations are required at joumana@aware.com.kw

14 Sep 2015, 5:00 p.m.

You can see my post about it, It seems like they started this tour after my post about it or perhaps it is just a 'coincidence'. I toured the museum for free, it's in the basement of his home in Hateen. Maybe the 3KD is for transportation? If you miss this and want to visit you can contact him via IG @hamedalfuzia

Thursday, September 3, 2015

My sister was placing another order for Mr Cleavers and I had to get in on the deal. I ordered hamburger meat, which was less expensive than the grocery story and bacon from the states which is 2KD per package. My sister cooks more than I do, we just go eat so that's one of the reasons I stick to buying a few things.

She gave me a pack of the seasoned hamburger patties and they were so good. Perfectly shaped, seasoned and just the right amount of fat to meat ratio. They have various packages to choose from and they deliver for 2 KD (the price will change once they get delivery cars). You can see more if their products on their IG @mrcleavers they are open from 8am to 9pm. Their location is in Shuwaikh I think and their number is 98822022

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Well, well, well.....I just received a call from an employee of Al Shaya requesting the post about their shopping outlet to be taken down or they would go back through their video and make problems for the person who brought me in. First off there are no signs that say 'No photography' nor is there any kind of waiver to sign saying anyone who writes about it will be persecuted. I don't see them requesting Mark to take down his post about it from 2 years ago, he was never threatened and it's still up which is why I never thought posting about it was illegal. I can only figure they have my number so they can contact me directly and think it's ok.

I've worked with Al Shaya and never figured the company would take a post like that so personal. They are a huge company with loads of staff yet a post about their employee outlet would cause them to threaten me? Outlets are nothing new, we have them all over the states, it's just old stuff that didn't sell at reduced prices. The company should worry more about their staff members buying items with their discounts and reselling them at higher prices. NOT A BIG DEAL! Even Al Ostoura has an outlet and they let the public shop there.

I feel like I took pictures of some secret nuclear weapon or something the FBI is protecting, not a picture of some shoes. So what's really going on?

I will remove the post but I hate being bullied into it with idle threats. I am a nice person until I feel threatened and for those reading I am in no way scared of your threats but I took it down because of the person who works there otherwise it would still be up.

In the future maybe your policies for this SECRET location should be changed, have signs posted and guests sign a waiver so your location will never be told.

Side note: The stuff wasn't even that great to begin with. If the other post about their shop is not removed within 24 hours I will re post mine again, one cannot pick and choose who can and cannot post about it.

I was finally able to visit the secret Al Shaya employee outlet where prices of clothing are slashed to crazy prices. Unfortunately I didn't find anything interesting to buy but I've heard they get weekly shipments, I am almost positive that the day of delivery is probably like 'Black Friday' in the states and one has to get there the minute the items are put out or they're out of luck.

These shoes were 300 KD and now 30 KD, I don't know anyone who would wear them but the price was crazy.

Bright red men's shoes from Vivienne Westwood

I don't know if anyone has noticed people on Facebook selling clothing but a lot of the clothing comes from employees of Al Shaya, they get a discount and sell them at full cost. Al Shaya is a cool company but they don't pay very well unless you reach the top floor.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

This park in Fintas isn't very old yet it looks like it's been abandoned for a number of years by the looks of the equipment. It's a shame that people would destroy these things provided by the government. We have no where else to go besides malls and for those who want to walk and be outdoors they have to come each day and look at the mess.

Where is the security? Why aren't people taught to appreciate things rather than destroy?

Exposed electrical wires??

The cleaners just chilling when there is trash all over the place

These sharp building materials scattered around

It's not the first or last park that will be destroyed, people have to be educated before anything will change.